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SOMERVILLE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — One of the best selling writers of all time is showing more support for independent booksellers this holiday season.
Author James Patterson is gifting $300,000 as part of his annual Holiday Bookstore Bonus Program. The money will go to six hundred independent bookstore employees around the country as $500 bonuses.
30 of this year's recipients are based in Massachusetts, including Shana Hausman, who works at All She Wrote Books in Somerville.
"I’m really, really happy about it. I’m very excited," Hausman told WBZ NewsRadio Friday. "I got an email saying, 'Congratulations, you won this,' and also not to tell people for a few days. I did tell my family and my dad texted me and said, 'Shana, are you sure this isn’t a scam?'"
To win the bonus, workers could nominate themselves, or they could be nominated by coworkers, store owners, customers, people in the publishing industry, or authors. In Hausman's case, you don't even need to be a fan of James Patterson's work.
"I’ve never actually read one of his books, but there are many of them and I love what he does for bookstores and booksellers, and I know he does good things for libraries too," Hausman said.
Other Bay State winners include workers at An Unlikely Story in Plainville, Book Love in Plymouth, Escape Into Fiction in Franklin, Trident Booksellers & Cafe in Boston, and Word on the Street in Marlboro.
A full list of 2023 recipients can be found here.
WBZ's Madison Rogers (@MadisonWBZ) reports.
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